This year marks the 80th anniversary of the DC Comics character known as Batman. He is not only a star on the comic book page, but also on the big and small screens. From TV shows and animated series to live action movies, Batman is everywhere. His first live action appearance was all the way back in 1943 with Lewis Wilson playing Bruce Wayne. That was 76 years ago.
With every movie's iteration of Batman, the costume designer has a chance to take a crack at the famous batsuit. Sometimes comic fans praise the costume and it goes down in history as one of the greats, but that does not always happen. To demonstrate, here are the five best and worst Batman costumes as seen in the films.
10 Worst: The Batman
One of Batman's worst movie suits is from the very beginning, seen in none other than the 1943 Batman film, starring Lewis Wilson. While this costume looks pretty lame for 2019 standards, fans can't hate on it too much, as it is from the first ever Batman film. That does not stop it from being so awful looking though.
This suit straight-up looks like pajamas. As Bruce has always been extremely rich and from a family that is loaded, he should have never left Wayne Manor looking like this. It is even worse that Alfred let him go out looking like a child on his way to a sleepover.
9 Best: Batman Begins
This definitive batsuit from Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins will go down in history as a masterpiece. Under this very stiff cowl is Christian Bale, who many argue gave the best performance as Bruce Wayne.
The reason it is so low on this list it that the suit he gets in the sequel is even better. The only downfall of this is Bruce's inablilty to turn his head, but that doesn't stop him from looking highly intimidating. He just has to hope no goons come up on his blind spot.
8 Worst: Batman And Robin
The Batman and Robin movie literally has a 3.7/ 10 on IMDb. While that has nothing to do with the quality of the costumes, it help to understand why these look so bad. These costumes are from that very 1997 flop, directed by Joel Schumacher.
With the... ahem, overly-detailed pectorals and six pack, Batman is more concerned with looks than lives. Batman tends to be a utilitarian, in that he makes sure there is a reason for each and every single thing on his suit. His cape can be used a s a weapon, his ears house a radio system, his insignia is even a shield and distraction. Batman would never wear such a cosmetically over the top costume.
7 Best: Batman: Gotham by Gaslight
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight came out January 12, 2018 with Sam Lui as the director. This movie was loosely inspired a one-shot comic of the same name. This story takes place during the Victorian era, in Gotham city. This steampunk Batman follows a trail of clues left by infamous murderer Jack the Ripper in this animated film.
The Gaslight costume still has a yellow utility belt, grey and black suit with the cowl with the long ears, but what makes this costume so unique is that instead of a cape, he wears an awesome trench coat. Something else that is interesting is that Batman does not have any black paint or makeup around his eyes to conceal them. Maybe Bruce just found it unnecessary?
6 Worst: JLA Adventures: Trapped In Time
JLA Adventures: Trapped In Time came out in January 21, 2014 directed by Giancarlo Volpe. The movie follows Lex Luthor and the Legion of Doom as they attempt to form islands they can seize control of. The Justice league are forced to travel to different eras to try and stop Lex Luthor.
This costume is just ugly. It is the classic grey, blue and black colors, but they are just placed weird. The yellow around his trunks just looks incredibly awkward, and the spiky chin strap is also less than pleasant to look at.
5 Best: Justice League
The Justice League live action movie came out in 2018 as the fifth installment of the official DCEU franchise. this movie did poorly with fans, as the plot was all over the place, and the characters weren't portrayed consistently.
While the movie didn't turn out very great, one of the great things to come of it was Batman's costume. The cowl has a snarling expression on it, which is rare for him, but very cool to see. The costume itself also has layered grey armor pieces covered in some sort of texture that makes viewers want to touch it.
4 Worst: Sonar Suit
This sonar suit is seen in Batman Forever, in which Riddler destroys Batman's other suits. Batman is then forced to wear a suit he never had before, and so we get the sonar suit. Ironically though, Batman was able to beat the Riddler on Claw Island with this costume he'd never worn before.
This costume just looks off. The cowl looks normal until you notice how small the eye holes are, lending it a borderline creepy aesthetic. The whole batsuit looks plastic, except for the gloves, which are extremely long and leathery. Hopefully after wearing this suit just once, Bruce realizes it's going to need a whole redesign before donning it again.
3 Best: Batman Ninja
This costume is from the Batman trailer that was heard around the world - Batman Ninja. In the midst of a battle with Gorilla Grodd, Batman fell into his Quake Engine time displacement machine, which back in time to Feudal Japan. This movie is a completely different story than we have ever seen before when it comes to the caped crusader.
This costume is super cool. This samurai inspired batsuit would not be out of place back in Feudal Japan, except for the big yellow bat and giant bat ears of course. The long neck piece is such a great addition to this suit for extra protection from the back and the sides, by his blind spots.
2 Worst: Ice Armor
Batman's worst suit ever is from Batman Forever, which is actually just a variation of the sonar suit. In Batman Forever, Bruce beefed up the Sonar suit in order to withstand Mr. Freeze's Freeze Gun. This suit comes with a bat-heater, laser gun, wrist-mounted grapple launchers, grapple gun, and knuckle grapple launcher. They really went over the top with all the grappling mechanisms in this suit.
While this suit is able to withstand extreme cold, it does not make up for the stupid look. The silver stands out too much and looks like a bad tribal tattoo. The white bat symbol is also way too big for this suit, which makes it look extremely tacky.
1 Best: The Dark Knight
The Batman costume donned by Christian Bale for his stunning performance in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight is clearly the best. Being the second of three films, this costume is an upgrade from the first. Now he can move his head and move faster. It's just as scary, and even more dangerous.
This suit also has an extra layer of armor beneath the bat symbol, which is ideal considering most people will be shooting there. This costume is beloved by fans because not only does it resemble the comics, but it looks like it could exist in the real world. This costume is not flashy. It conceals the bat and protects him, which is what it was intended for.